nutritious junk

I like potatoes. They’re good roasted, baked, boiled, steamed, sautéed, fried, mashed…and, well they’re not very good raw but…. And they can be made even better with the addition of outside foods. And Mrs. T, god love her, has made the perfect combo. No, Mrs. T isn’t my imaginary friend (her name was Fluffer), she is a company, Mrs. T’s to be exact. Mrs. T’s is in charge of making these heavenly little pillows of pasta filled with potatoes and either onion, cheese or jalapeños, called pierogies. I usually get the onion or cheddar. They can be prepared numerous different ways. The simplest way being just boiling them for a couple minutes and then devouring them in all they’re glory. I like to do the two-step process. Boil then pan “fry” using non-stick spray. This yields pierogies that are hot and tender with a little bit of chewiness from the pan-frying. I’ve also been known to sauté them with garlic, a little lemon juice, and assorted spices. But really these pierogies don’t need any help; they’re perfect on their own. The add-ons such as cheese and onion are flavorful but not overpowering, allowing for the taste of the potato to sneak through. Because of the easy prep they are fast to make and can be kept on hand because they’re frozen. Because of the nutrition people may want to make this a sideshow in their dinner instead of the main act. For 3 pierogies there are 180 calories, 2.5g of fat (including 1g of saturated fat), 530mg of sodium, 1g of fiber, and 6g of protein. Three may not seem like a lot, but these ain’t no baby-sized portions. I usually eat 4, at the most, and I’m good. And don’t get me wrong I have a very, very healthy appetite. I bet I could give that chick, Insatiable Sonya, a run for her money in a strawberry-eating contest. But really, since the world needs yet another pasta alternative, these are a good choice. Low in fat, high in flavor and filled with spud goodness.